1. Technical Field
The present disclosure is related to transmitting data over a data transmission system. In particular, the present disclosure is related to a system and method for transmitting Universal Serial Bus (USB) data over a DisplayPort data transmission link.
2. Discussion of Related Art
As digital data becomes the standard for storing information, the need to transfer the data between electronic digital devices increases. Currently, electronic devices rely on numerous interfaces and specifications for transmitting information between electronic devices. These interfaces and specifications include Universal Serial Bus (USB), Peripheral Component Interconnection (PCI) express, IEEE-1394, and Thunderbolt. In addition, specific interfaces and specifications have been developed that have been optimized for the transmission of audio and video (A/V) data, and these include Digital Visual Interface (DVI), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Video Graphics Array (VGA), and DisplayPort. These primarily A/V data interfaces and specifications are often limited in their data transmission rates and, thus, usually are not useful for large data transfers between devices.
Due to the numerous specifications and interfaces, it is important that the specifications and interface be interoperable with each other. Interoperability allows devices to be multifunctional and more highly configurable. For example, many monitors are connected to a processing device using a VGA or DVI link, but also provide USB ports to allow for the transmission of USB data over the VGA or DVI link. Consequently, in order to allow such applications as well as docking and thin clients, it is important to provide interoperability between different data transmission interfaces and specifications.
However, the different data transmission interfaces and specifications often have different specified data transmission protocols and specified data rates. These differences can inhibit the transmission of data designed for transmission according to one specification using a connection that is designed for another specification. This renders the two specifications interoperable and limits the functionality of an electronic device designed according to either of the two standards. What is needed is an improved method and system for transmitting data designed for transmission according to one specification using a connection that is designed for another specification.